Strange Guns: Nambu Type 94 Pistol

darthnava (71)in #technology • 6 years ago (edited)

_{(Image source)}

The Type 94 Nambu 8 mm Pistol is a semi-automatic service pistol of the Imperial Japanese Army from 1935 to 1945. It was developed by Kijirō Nambu and his associates. Development of this pistol began in 1929 and was officially adopted by the Imperial Japanese Army in 1934. The Type 94 pistol began production in 1935. About 71,000 were manufactured before production stopped in 1945.

The Nambu Type 94 Pistol was chambered for the 8mm Nambu cartridge which has almost the stopping power of a 9mm cartridge. It had a magazine capacity of 6 rounds.

Type: Single Action semiautomatic
Caliber: 8×22 Nambu
Weight unloaded: 580 g empty
Length: 181 mm
Barrel length: 87 mm
Magazine capacity: 6 rounds

-- modernfirearms.net

The Type 94 pistol was designed for Japanese aircraft and tank crews who popularly preferred its smaller, lightweight design. Weapons experts have pointed out some poor design elements of the Type 94 due to the deteriorated quality of materials and workmanship, used in production of this gun during World War 2. The late production guns can be unsafe to fire, and even the early production ones, which were made to more or less quality standards of fit and finish, had some unwanted and unsafe features as well, such as exposed trigger bar, which can cause unintended firing if the loaded and cocked pistol is handled improperly or carelessly.

Firing of the Japanese Type 94 Nambu by WorldWarSupply

Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Type94Nambu_pistol
http://modernfirearms.net/en/handguns/handguns-en/japan-semi-automatic-pistols/nambu-type-94-eng/